Over the last few years, there has been a push from the general public to restructure police response protocols to include the addition of civilian crisis responders. A civilian crisis team is a mix of paramedics and behavioral health professionals who respond to 911 and non-emergency police calls either in tandem with a police dispatch team or, in some programs, on their own. The value of sending these teams versus the traditional police force is that specialized skills are required for responding to a behavioral health crisis or to a crime including an individual with a behavioral health issue.
In Boston, one needs to only walk the downtown streets to encounter individuals in need of mental health care. Without the proper services and assistance, these individuals pose a threat to their community. In New York City, there have been numerous reports of individuals living in the subway system attacking daily riders. In one report from February, a man was stabbed in the arm for asking someone to stop smoking while in the subway. Civilian response teams should have the capacity to identify, interact, and proactively provide the proper services to individuals in need of mental health care.
Because many cities do not have teams, the police force is the default option for dealing with social issues in communities. A well-trained police department with crisis intervention and de-escalation skills remains absolutely essential to best serve the community.
This past January, the National Association of Social Workers Massachusetts proposed to implement a program similar to those in Oregon and Colorado called the Act to Create Alternatives for Community Emergency Services, or A.C.E.S. Act. Through this Act, community members would be connected to social services in lieu of law enforcement during crises. Executive Director of NASWM, Rebekah Gewirtz commented, “The A.C.E.S Act aims to improve public health, access to mental health and social services, and reduce police violence by connecting those in crisis to community support, rather than meeting them with control and force.”
These programs should be put in place, but advanced mental health training should be given to police forces. All police officers should have critical incident training for mental health cases. Oftentimes, 911 dispatchers are unaware that a call is for a social issue rather, especially when a call is for an act of serious crime. It is difficult to discern if an incident involves an individual in a mental health crisis, and Police officers should be given the proper training to respond to a mental health crisis if a civilian crisis team is not called or is unable to respond.
Evans Brothers Consulting believes that civilian response teams are extremely important as it will have a positive social impact on the communities surrounding, but it is just as important that officers are able to act in the absence of a civilian team. One thing everyone should agree on is the absolute need for the system to do a better job of treating individuals in a mental health crisis and doing so with urgency.